Affected by national environmental protection policies, the refrigerant market is oversupplied

Refrigerant, also known as refrigerant, refrigerant, and refrigerant, refers to a substance that continuously circulates in the refrigeration system and changes its physical state to achieve the refrigeration effect of objects. According to different chemical properties, refrigerants can be divided into five categories: inorganic compounds, saturated hydrocarbon halides, hydrocarbons, azeotropic refrigerants, and non-azeotropic refrigerants. Refrigerant has the function of heat transfer, and also has the advantages of strong chemical stability, good electrical insulation, safe, non-toxic, and non-irritating.

Fluorine refrigerant is the main product of the global refrigerant industry. The raw materials of fluorine refrigerants include hydrofluoric acid and chlorinated hydrocarbons, which are important organic fluorine chemical products. Since fluorine refrigerants can easily destroy the ozone layer, cause air pollution, and affect the ecological environment, fluorine refrigerants have been continuously upgraded around the world since the 1980s. Based on the atmospheric ozone depletion potential and global warming potential, the refrigerant industry divides the fluorine refrigerant product series into four generations. At present, the third generation refrigerant has been basically popular in overseas markets. Restricted by factors such as high technical barriers, my country’s third-generation refrigerant market is still in its infancy.

Under the goal of “carbon neutrality”, the country is paying more and more attention to chemical products that easily damage the ozone layer, such as refrigerants. In 2021, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly revised the “China’s List of Controlled Ozone Depleting Substances” to restrict production and sales of some refrigerant products that harm the ozone layer. Affected by factors such as national environmental protection policies, my country’s refrigerant market demand has tightened, resulting in overcapacity and product prices continuing to fall. In 2021, my country’s HCF-125 refrigerant production reached 126,000 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 3.7%.

According to the “2022-2027 Refrigerant Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report released by the Industrial Research Center, the refrigerant Mainly used in refrigeration fields such as air conditioners, refrigerators, and freezers. Air conditioners account for 80.0% of the demand for refrigerants, and refrigerators account for 15.0% of the demand for refrigerants. With the rapid development of the economy and the continuous improvement of consumers’ living standards, air conditioners have become one of the essential household appliances in consumer households. The growth in demand will drive an increase in air conditioner production. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, my country’s cumulative air conditioner production in 2021 will be 220 million units, a year-on-year increase of 9.4%. After the air conditioner is installed and put into use, refrigerant needs to be added every five years to ensure the normal operation of the air conditioner. The growing demand for air conditioning applications will provide new opportunities for the development of the refrigerant industry.

Industry analysts said that my country is a major consumer and producer of refrigerants, with annual refrigerant production accounting for nearly 60% of the global total. As third-generation refrigerants gradually occupy a dominant position in the market, my country’s refrigerant industry will gain huge room for development. Since refrigerants can aggravate the greenhouse effect and destroy the ozone layer, the Chinese government has issued numerous environmental protection policies to restrict production and sales of some products. Although it has caused fluctuations in output, it has played an important role in promoting the upgrading of refrigerant products in my country.